Improvement in apparatus for inhaling gas



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIMEON W. ALBEE, OF CHARLESTOWN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, ANDHENRY HODSON, OF GHARLESTOWN, MASSAUHUSE'ITS.

Specification forming part ot' Letters Patent No. 42,72 l, dated May 10,18('4.

To all whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, SIMEoN W. ALBEE, a resident of Charlestown, in thecounty ot' Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented anImproved Apparatus for the In hal-ation of Nitrous Oxide or other Gas orVapor; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in thefollowing` specication and represented in the accompanying draw ings, ofwhich- Figure l denotes aside elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical andlongitudinal section ot' it. Fig. 3A is an end view ofthe mouth-tube.

The nature ot' my invention consists in the combination of an elasticinflexible mouthcushion with a mouth tube or conduit and its valve orvalves, as described; also, in a peculiar combination and arrangement ofvalves, valve seats, and valve stein, with the mouth-tube and valve-casearranged as specitied.

In the drawings, A denotes t-he valvecase, which is cylindrical andtubular, and formed so that its lower end maybe titted 1n and fastenedto the mouth of a gas bag or a con'- duit leading therefrom or from agasreservoir. Within the said valve-case are two valveseats, a b,through openings et' which a valvestem, c, extends and is furnished withtwo valves, d e, the upper of which (viz., that marked d) being abovethe seat a, while the lower (or that marked e) is below the stat b. Thetwo valves are also so arranged that when either may be closed againstits seat the other will be ott' its seat. Furthermore, there is aspring,f, arranged on that part of the stem c which projects below thevalve c, the said spring being made to rest on a stationary cross-bar,g, and to operate so as to force the valvestem upward and close thelower valve against its seat. The valve-stem is to be surmounted b v abutton or head, h.

A tubular conic t'rustum or mouth-tube, B, is joined at its smaller endto the valve-case, and projects at right angles thereto and opens intoit between the two valve seats a and l), the whole being as shown inFigs. l and 2. ll`he larger end ot' this mouthtube is provided with aelastic intlatable mouth-piece or cushion, C, ma e of vulcanizedcaoutchouc or other suitable air-tight material. This cushion is annularin shape and formed to go around the mouth or about the mouth and acrossthe nose of a person, and to t closely to the external surfaces thereofwhen pressed l against the same, the object of the cushion being to makea closejoint about the mouth or breathing-orices of the nose and mouth,in order that a person using the apparatus may be able to inhale andexhale a gas through it. g

lhe elastic cushion should Vbe provided with a nozzle, i, having asuitable screw-cap (or its equivalent) t'or closing such nozzle and forenabling air-to be blown through the nozzle and into the cushion, or beexpelled from the cushion, as circumstances may require.

In using thel apparatus when coupled to a gas-bag or gasometercontaining nitrous-oxide gas, the operator is to apply the cushion U tothe tace and mouth ot' the person or patient to whom the gas is to beadministered, the operator at the same time holding the apparatus in onehand by the part A, and having the index-finger ot' such hand placed onthe top of the button or head h of the valve-stem. Under thesecircumstances the valve d will be open and the valve e will be closed,so that no gas can escape from the bag, the patient in the meanwhilebreathing or inhaling` and exhaling common atn'iospheric air, which hewill do through the opening of the valve-seat a. After a short time, andwhen the patient may have become accustomed to the apparatos, so as tobreathe naturally through it, the operator is to quietly press downwai dthe valve-stem so as to close the valve d down upon its seat a, and openthe valve e, or press it away from its seat b, which having been donethe gas will pass into the valve-case and from thence be drawn throughthe mouthtube B and into the lungs of the patient.

It' desirable, a mixture of air and gas may be breathed by the patient,such being accom plished by slightly depressing the valve-stem, so as tocause both ot' its valves to be open.

I claim as my invention- 1. rIhe combination ofthe elastic inatablemoutltcushion C with the mouth-tube or conduit B, and its valvecase A,provided with valves or a valve apparatus, as described.

2. The combination and arrangement ot` the two valves, valve-seats, andvalve stem together, and with the valve-case and a mouthtube arranged asdescribed.

SIMEON W. ALBEE.

Witnesses:

E. L. CUsHING, J. PORTER.

